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Edwards, Sherwood lead Cooper back to volleyball playoffs

Daniece Edwards and Cheyenne Sherwood got a taste of the postseason their first year with the Cooper varsity volleyball team as sophomores in 2015. Now, the two longtime friends have played a big role in getting the Lady Cougars back to the playoffs their senior year.

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Daniece Edwards and Cheyenne Sherwood got a taste of the postseason their first year with the Cooper varsity volleyball team as sophomores in 2015. Now, the two longtime friends have played a big role in getting the Lady Cougars back to the playoffs their senior year.

Cooper coach Nora Campbell said the two outside hitters said both play a valuable role on the team both in what they do on and off the court.

“They got to see what good senior leadership looks like (their sophomore year)," Campbell said, "and for us, they are that physical leadership we need, in that they score a lot of our points and, of course, the mentality that they know what it takes to get to that point.”

Edwards remembers that sophomore year well, and she remembers how the seniors provided leadership and inspiration for the younger players.

“They took care of us,” Edwards said. “I thought that was pretty cool, like that’s how it’s supposed to go. Last year, was like we’re building ourselves up again. This year, we’re doing it. We’re seniors, and we’ve got to take care of them.”

Cooper had a young, experienced team last season. It showed on the court, too. The Lady Coogs went 16-22 overall and just 1-9 in District 4-5A play last year. As a result, Cooper missed the playoffs for the first time since 2013.

“My junior year, it was pretty tough, because we had a lot of young players trying to come together and form a playoff team,” Sherwood said. “It just didn’t work out.”

The Lady Coogs played a lot of close games, matches as well, last season, but had little to show for it in the win column.

“It was tough,” Edwards said. “We were always playing with them, but it seemed like we were never there to beat them. We were just playing with them. This year, we’re showing people that we’re here to beat you.”

Cooper returned nearly its entire team from last season, and the experience has shown on the court. The Lady Coogs, 25-14 overall, finished third in district with a 6-4 record – sweeping the district series with Lubbock Monterey, Lubbock High and San Angelo Lake View.

“Just a night and day difference,” said Campbell, who is in her 14th year with the Lady Coogs. “How young we were and so inexperienced last season. Every single one of them are playing other varsity sports, and that helps their experience, even if it’s not volleyball. I have only one kid who plays year-round volleyball. So these are true athletes. They’re very smart kids and calm. There’s a lot that plays into them having such a consistent season as they’ve had.”

Cooper, which opens the playoffs against No. 6 Amarillo High (36-7) at 6 p.m. Monday at Lubbock Cooper, has got it done this season with a mix of experienced and inexperienced players. Two junior setters, Pearce Bjorlie and Caylee Collier, have played well. Bjorlie played with the team last season, while Collier is playing her first year with the varsity.

“I’ve been happy with our setters,” Campbell said. “We put a lot of pressure on them to run a fast offense. They don’t complain. They stay very calm. That’s a good thing, because I think it’s a good balance for the types of hitters we have. They seem to work well together. A lot of it is about personalities, and the personalities seem to mix.”

Perhaps the biggest surprise this season has been the contributions of three sophomores – Diamond Brown, Haley Riley and Ellie McMillon. All are newcomers to the varsity, and all have played key roles with the team. Brown, a 5-foot-11 starting middle blocker, has been a steady presence inside, while Riley, a 5-8 middle, and McMillon, a 5-8 defensive specialist/outside hitter, also contribute.

“So there’s quite a bit of youth, and Diamond Brown is a huge asset for us,” Campbell said. “Just how consistent she is as a sophomore is impressive and that’s something you don’t see in stats. Just her work ethic on the court and how consistent she’s been for us speaks volumes.”

But the two who make it all go are Sherwood and Edwards, who have been friends since their youth basketball days as 5-year-olds in Dyess Air Force Base’s coed league.

“We expect a lot from them offensively, but that’s because they do a lot for us,” Campbell said. “That’s just how the season has played out. We didn’t start out thinking that way. We were really well-rounded, but we’ve just gone to them more and more as the season went on, and it seems to have worked for us.”

The 5-9 Edwards gets the job done offensively and defensively. She often hits double figures in digs as well as kills. Edwards leads Cooper with 356 kills to go with 385 digs. That’s something you don’t often see from an outside hitter.

“I love defense. I love it,” said Edwards, who also has 25½ blocks. “Like when Cheyenne’s on the front row and I’m on the back row, I just love it.”

Campbell said players like Edwards don’t come around very often.

“I usually have an outside that plays all the way around, but usually they’re pretty good at both offense and defense, but not great,” Campbell said. “I would call her great defensively. Then front row, she just gets it done. That’s the best way to describe her. She’s not fancy about it. Her points are very quiet on the front row.”

Quiet on offense? Maybe, but she and Sherwood are very competitive with each other when it comes to kills, and they’ve gone back and forth as the team’s leading hitters from match to match. Sherwood has 339 kills this season, along with 36½ blocks and 80 digs.

“If you’re not competitive, who’s going to push you to do better,” Edwards said.

The Lady Coogs face a monumental task in the first round of the playoffs. Amarillo High won its 10th state title last year and eighth since 1998. The Lady Sandies, who have played in 17 state tournaments, won four consecutive 5A titles (2006-09) and also won titles in 2001 and 2013.

Cooper has been to state once, winning the 4A title in 1967, and the Lady Coogs haven’t won a first-round playoff match since 2002, going 0-5 in the playoffs since then.

“We know about the success they’ve had in the past, and we understand that they bring that on the court every time they play,” Campbell said of the District 3-5A co-champion Lady Sandies. “But they can’t look past teams, and I think they know that. We’re going to go out there and compete, where we know if we can get through a good team there’s a great shot for us to maybe getting to a regional tournament.

"Usually the stopping point for us is the first round. We’re going to take it one round at a time and know we’ve got to play a good team, really fight for it and be competitive and see where it takes us.”